The Kashmir Pulse

PULWAMA — In southern Kashmir's Pulwama district lies the Government Degree College for Women Pulwama (GDC Women Pulwama), where the tranquility of academia is now disrupted by the unrest among its contractual lecturers.

The contractual lecturers of this institution find themselves embroiled in a struggle for fair compensation and the assurance of regular classwork. The recent decision by the J&K Higher Education Department to slash the remuneration of these educators has sparked outrage and concern, leading to a vociferous demand for justice.

Initially receiving a monthly salary of Rs 28,000, the contractual lecturers had been advocating for a raise to match their counterparts in other states, who enjoy salaries up to Rs 50,000. However, their hopes were dashed when a new policy decreed a paltry Rs 400 per lecture and called them 'guest faculty', limiting their potential earnings to a mere Rs 12,000 to 15,000 per month.

The circular issued by the J&K Higher Education Department on February 1, 2024, stipulated that guest faculty would be compensated at the rate of Rs 400 per lecture. This decision, seen as unjust by many, has left the guest lecturers grappling with financial insecurity and uncertainty about their future.

The implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP)-2020 in Jammu and Kashmir aimed to synchronize the academic calendar with national standards. This move, while lauded for its efforts to streamline education, has inadvertently exacerbated the plight of guest lecturers.

One of the central issues highlighted by the aggrieved teachers is the disruption in classwork, particularly on Fridays. Dr Mohammad Yousuf Nengroo, a senior guest lecturer at GDC Women Pulwama, lamented the unofficial holiday observed due to low student attendance on Fridays. This absence of classwork translates to a direct loss of income for the guest lecturers, further exacerbating their financial woes.

Dr Nengroo, along with his colleagues, who are highly qualified with PhDs and NET qualifications, demand urgent action to address their concerns. They advocate for the resumption of regular classwork on Fridays to ensure equitable compensation and uphold the integrity of academic engagement.

However, when approached for comment, Principal Yasmeen Farooq refuted claims of disrupted classwork on Fridays. She asserted that classes are conducted as scheduled, including on Fridays. Nevertheless, she pledged to investigate the matter and ensure the uninterrupted continuation of classwork to alleviate the grievances of the guest lecturers.

As the debate rages on, the fate of contractual or guest lecturers hangs in the balance, symbolizing the broader challenges facing education in Jammu and Kashmir. With stakeholders on both sides of the divide, the resolution of this issue remains a pressing concern, impacting not only the livelihoods of educators but also the quality of education imparted to students.

SRINAGAR — Academic arrangement, contractual lecturers on Tuesday staged a protest in the premises of Amar Singh College in Srinagar against a “government order”, transitioning them to guest faculty roles.

The aggrieved lecturers, while speaking to the media as per the news agency KNO, said that the order entails a drastic reduction in their salaries, slashing their monthly earnings from Rs 28,000 to a meagre Rs 13,000 or Rs 14,000.

The protesting lecturers highlighted that the decision was an injustice and disparity between the treatment of lecturers in Jammu and Kashmir when compared to other states. “The UGC guidelines mandate fair treatment even under contractual arrangements and Kashmir stands as the sole exception," said a lecturer.

They lamented the lack of recognition for their experience and added that their plight stands further aggravated by the lack of recognition for their experience as the certificates issued to them hold no value beyond the current arrangement.

According to protesting lecturers, over 2,000 lecturers are serving in various colleges across Kashmir on these precarious terms.

Expressing their grievances, a lecturer Aftab Ahmad, while sharing the personal struggle of sustaining a family, highlighted the distressing reality faced by many in similar circumstances on “meagre earnings.”

“I have to pay a room rent of Rs 10,000 every month. I have family and kids with me. The discrepancy in pay scales between different regions further compounds the frustration," he said.

The protesting lecturers said that their demands were not merely for personal gain but for the betterment of higher education in Kashmir. They urged the need for transparency in the recruitment process and the immediate filling of the thousands of vacant positions across colleges in the region.

The lecturers warned of hunger strikes if their grievances were not addressed promptly, underscoring the urgent need for the government to address their demands, including reinstatement with proper designation and commensurate pay aligned with UGC guidelines.

They urged the authorities to heed their plea for fair treatment and dignified living conditions, stressing that failure to do so would only deepen the sense of disillusionment among the educated youth of Kashmir.

SRINAGAR — The High Court of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh has stayed the Contractual Advertisement Notice of the Islamic University of Science and Technology (IUST), upholding that a contractual faculty cannot be replaced with another contractual faculty.

The High Court of Jammu & Kashmir stayed the Advertisement Notification published on 19-12-2022 vide Adv No: IUST/DAA-Acad/22/2031, inviting applications for fresh recruitment of contractual teaching faculty at the Islamic University of Science and Technology (IUST).

The High Court of Jammu Kashmir and Ladakh vide Order No: WPC-3004/2022 and WPC-3067/2022 dated 30-12-2022 strongly stayed the recruitment process of the contractual faculties in the subjects like the English Language and Literature, Management Studies, Mathematics, Islamic Studies, and Architecture as the petitioners were aggrieved of the notification, saying that as per the Supreme Court, a contractual faculty can’t be replaced by another contractual faculty.

The court order reads, “The impugned advertisement notice to the extent of inviting applications for the posts of Assistant Professors (in the subjects mentioned above) is stayed and the respondents are directed to maintain the present status of the petitioners.” The said order was issued by the court of Justice Sanjay Dhar.

The faculty members/petitioners had approached the High Court seeking justice when the university issued the uncalled-for notification through which their services were threatened and their future was put in the dark. It was only after this judgment that the said faculty members heaved a sigh of relief.

While contacting the petitioner, it was found that they have full faith in the Court of justice. They are hopeful now that their livelihood is safeguarded.

One of the faculty members, who has been working as a contractual Assistant Professor (English) for around the last six years, said that High Court gave a strong judgment in favor of the Contractual Assistant Professors of the Islamic University of Science and Technology (IUST).

Another petitioner, who is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Management Studies, expressed satisfaction over the judgment and hoped that the Islamic University of Science and Technology administration will no longer play with the future of highly qualified faculty members.

SRINAGAR — All Jammu and Kashmir College Contractual Teachers Association (JKCCTA) on Wednesday held a protest here in Srinagar demanding implementation of the Supreme Court (SC) directions regarding the resumption of the services of the academic arrangement faculty.

Scores of contractual college teachers from various districts of Kashmir assembled here in the Press Enclave, holding placards and banners in their hands which read, “Fulfill our demands”, “Justice delayed is justice denied”, ”Save youth, save Kashmir,” “We want justice” and “Implement Supreme Court orders”.

According to the news agency CNS, the spokesperson of JKCCTA, Dr Iqbal expressed dismay over the non-implementation of recent Supreme Court orders (Civil Appeal No. 103 of 2021) by the Department of Higher Education J&K UT regarding the resumption of services of those academic arrangement faculty members whose status is protected by the orders of High Court of J&K and CAT Jammu/Srinagar Benches.

He informed that this petition was filed by the Administrative Department of Higher Education against the verdict of the CAT Jammu Bench in the Supreme Court of India. “But keeping in view the merits of the basic petitions filed by the academic arrangement faculty in High Court and CAT, Supreme Court of India dismissed the appeal of the Higher Education Department and upheld the directions of High Court and CAT passed from time to time,” he said, adding that the apex court also directed the department to resume the services of the faculty with immediate effect.

"Even as the Administrative Department issued an order (HED-LEG/104/2022-04) in context of the above mentioned Supreme Court direction for the resumption of the duties of the academic arrangement faculty working on court directions in different Degree Colleges of Jammu and Kashmir UT, Nodal Principals circulated the vague resumption order (GGM/SC/ COLL/1293-95) which is in total violation of the Supreme Court," Mr Iqbal said.

The protesting teachers castigated the delaying tactics and manipulation of the Supreme Court directions as the orders have been implemented in Jammu province only which is, in turn, harassing the already suffering faculty in Kashmir.

Meanwhile, the protesting college teachers urged Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha to personally intervene in the matter and issue necessary directions to uphold the orders of the judiciary in the UT.

SRINAGAR — The Supreme Court (SC) has strongly reprimanded the Jammu and Kashmir Department of Higher Education for ignoring the legitimate demands of contractual college lecturers. In addition to the paid salaries, it has also issued orders to take immediate steps to ensure their immediate placement in the colleges as per the law.

A law has been passed in favour of the employees and the decision to make them permanent after a continuous period of seven years has been made mandatory.

The winning 700 contractual lecturers are performing their duties with a smile on their faces. Unfortunately, several temporary lecturers working in various colleges of Jammu and Kashmir for years have not been brought under the purview of the 2010 Act.

Governments have played with the legitimate demands of hundreds of temporary lecturers, which they are deeply sorry about.

The Department of Higher Education has not given up and has forced hundreds of temporary college lecturers, who have been enlightening the nation for the past two years, to suffer and challenge their demands in the Supreme Court.

It is worth mentioning that the Supreme Court in an order strongly condemned the policy adopted by the Higher Education Department besides the UT Government towards temporary college contractual lecturers.

Wages are remitted on an emergency basis. In addition, about 700 temporary lecturers stationed in Jammu and Kashmir have been waging a war of permanence for the last decade, during which they have fought dozens of times outside the Jammu Secretariat in addition to Srinagar's Press Colony.

SRINAGAR — University of Kashmir (KU) has announced the Kashmir University Contractual Lecturer Recruitment 2022 for 125 Posts.

The Job Advertisement Notification [No. F(Advt-2nd-Appt-CL)DAA/KU/22; Dated: 03-03-2022], in this connection, has been issued by the office of the Joint Registrar (Academic Affairs) on March 03, 2022.

Applications on the prescribed format, which can be downloaded from the university website, are therefore invited for the engagement of contractual lecturers in various subjects for the session 2022 at Main as well as Satellite Campuses purely on academic arrangements.

Application forms, complete in all respects, along with relevant documents should be submitted in the office of the concerned Dean’s of the School for engagement as Contractual Lecturers for the Academic Arrangement 2022.

Vacancies in Kashmir University Contractual Lecturer Recruitment 2022

1. Dean School of Arts, Languages & Literature: 10 Posts
2. Dean School of Social Sciences: 10 Posts
3. Dean School of Physical & Mathematical Sciences: 01 Post
4. Dean School of Education & Behavioral Sciences: 15 Posts
5. Dean School of Biological Sciences: 14 Posts
6. Dean School of Earth & Environmental Sciences: 07 Posts
7. Dean School of Applied Sciences & Technology: 12 Posts
8. Dean School of Open Learning: 04 Posts
9. Dean School of Engineering: 37 Posts
10. Dean School of Business Studies: 15 Posts

Eligibility: The candidates possessing NET/SET/Ph.D. in the relevant subject/discipline with a minimum of 55% marks at the Post-graduate level are eligible to apply.

However, candidates in their own interest are advised to be in touch with the concerned Dean of the School about the date, venue and time of the interview.

Also, the salary of the appointees shall be paid on the basis of their qualifications.

The important links concerning this Kashmir University Contractual Lecturer Recruitment 2022 for 125 Posts are provided below: